Friday Faith Check-up - "Is Your Faith Sliding Away?"

"Those who fall away have never been thoroughly imbued with the knowledge of Christ but only had a slight and passing taste of it."  - John Calvin

A peculiar thing about backsliding in our Christian lives is it occurs so gradually that we hardly notice it. It's similar to objects in the rearview mirror of your car. As you drive along, they gradually grow further and further behind. What was once right there in front of your eyes is now fading away in the distance.

Maybe, once you were a committed believer with a true hunger for Christ. Your passion and desire to follow and learn from Him fueled the fire that burned deep in your heart. Then something happened. What was once enjoyable about religion has now become a dreary task.

We can "backslide, or fall away" from Christ in a couple of ways. One involves the questioning of faith by a truly "saved" person. This is usually a temporary condition. The other, when the facade of an "unsaved" individual's faith begins to crumble, revealing what actually lies underneath.

Jesus' own disciples faced their crisis of faith in Mark 14:27. However, in this case, their's was only a temporary condition. Their hope and faith being later restored and strengthened even greater than before. In Hebrews 6:4-6 and Luke 8:13 we are presented with the other type of falling away.

I ask, "What originally lead you on the path to the Lord? "Were you genuinely "saved," or just test-driving a relationship with Jesus?" It's been my experience that you can ask a backslider about this, but more than likely their state of mind and heart will be set.

What can cause us to backslide? There are several things which might set the process in motion. Some of these are: ignoring God's Word; neglecting prayer; consistent and unrepentful sin; lack of Christian connections and/or activities, and denying to publicly profess our love to Christ.

The best thing that one can do, in either condition, is to start over fresh and new. You will have to rebuild your relationship with Christ again. This is necessary because if you don't, you will be rebuilding on top of an already compromised foundation.

Dr. John R. Rice put it best when he said, "Simply turn to God in your heart, confess your sin and backsliding, and He will receive you with open arms and forgive you of all your sins, failures and mistakes."

You must understand that it won't be easy. No matter which description fits the backslider, it will take some time, work, and committment. And even then, the matter is left in God's hands. Only He can determine if, and when restoration occurs.

Scripture: Revelation 2:5; 2 Peter 2:21; James 4:8; Galatians 6:1; 2 Timothy 2:12

Prayer: Dear Lord, I know that I have backslidden. please accept me once again into Your embrace. Help me so that I do not give in to temptation, or pull away from You again. Your Spirit is life and peace. I promise to glory, honor and praise You now and forever. Amen.

Have a blessed and safe weekend!

Kaye